The European Central Bank will keep monetary policy easy for as long as necessary in light of risks such as slower growth in emerging economies, its chief economist said in an interview with a Belgian newspaper. The ECB cut its deposit rate earlier this month and extended its asset purchase program in a bid to bring inflation in the euro zone, currently just above zero, back to its target of almost 2 percent. "It (the ECB) will pursue an accommodative monetary policy for as long as is necessary. Without giving a date, this timescale is fairly long," Peter Praet, who is also a member of the bank's executive board, ... (full story)